Lockdown brings rise in milk sales
MILK sales rose by 10% during the first week of lockdown.
Guernsey Dairy managing director Andrew Tabel said this equated to an extra 12,000 litres.
This was put down to islanders anticipating a shortfall in supplies.
‘As soon as the island went into lockdown we reacted quickly by introducing an additional production run to counter any shortfall,’ he said.
‘Staff were called in at short notice to collect, process and pack the milk, ensuring its early morning release the following day as soon as it had cleared mandatory laboratory tests.
‘This in turn meant that retail outlets could replenish stocks and keep up with increased consumer demand.’
Overall, milk sales for the first six weeks of 2021 are 2.5% up on the corresponding period in 2020, which was before Guernsey went into its first lockdown.
The increase in sales was expected as more people were staying at home and the number of people currently on-island was high with the restriction on travel.
While retail sales of cream were up, it was not enough to compensate for the loss of sales in the hospitality/food service sector and the figure for the year to date was 27% down on last year.
Cheese was in a similar position with a 28% decrease, though retail sales again were up.
‘The reason for the uplift in retail sales is primarily due to businesses who would normally serve the hospitality sector offering home
deliveries and choosing to support Guernsey’s economy by buying local,’ said Mr Tabel.
Butter sales were up by 16%
The latest lockdown had not been dissimilar to last year’s. Dairy staff were again divided into two teams, which was a challenge in itself as essential skills were shared between the two.
Each shift was divided into separate ‘cells’ to help mitigate the impact should a staff member be forced to self-isolate or test positive.
‘However, this created even greater challenges due to a number of our staff having to self-isolate or shield at very short notice,’ said Mr Tabel.
Adhering to Public Health advice, Guernsey Dairy also introduced the early mandatory wearing of face masks not only to protect its staff but also the milk distributors, who perform a vital role in delivering fresh liquid milk and milk products across the island.
‘Flexibility and the willingness of staff to adapt quickly has once again been the key in order to maintain service delivery.
‘As always I am incredibly proud and grateful to our staff for their hard work, dedication and commitment under challenging circumstances.’
. Guernsey Dairy’s reception is closed to the public in line with Public Health guidelines, with most office-based staff working from home. Any enquiries should be emailed to info@guernseydairy.com or call 01481 237777.
